Sewing machine



Dec. 10, 1940.

0. HAAS SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 10, 1940. Q R AA I v 2,224,768

I SEWING MACHINE- Filed Oct. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wine-5.3 lizvenior Patented Dec. 10, 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,224,168" SEWING MACHINE- Otto R. Haas, North Beverly,.Mass,, :assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, .N. J. I

Application October 20, 1 9" 39,-Serial No. 300,444

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to curved needle wax thread shoe sewing machines, and more particularly to improvements in needle guidin devices for a lockstich machine of the type illustrated and described in U. S. Letters 'Patent to present inventor, 'No. 2,148,197 of February 21, 1939 and co-pending application Serial'No. -l:l8,-6 2'2 filed December 3-1, 1936 of which application the present application is a division.

The objects of the present invention are to provide means in a curved needle'sewing machine for reinforcing the needle against the strains incident to sewing operations, and to improve the construction of such machines so that needles of smaller gage than heretofore'considered possible may be used with the heavy type of work ordinarily sewn by machines of "this nature. 7

With these and other objects in View, one fea- 29 ture of the invention relates to the provision in a curved needle sewing machine having a stud about which the needle oscillates, 'ofa .plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the studso arranged that the needle issupported at 'a number of separated'points along its length.

means and, when so actuated, it is possible to move the guides with the needle by frictional engagement with the needle supporting segment. 35 These and other features of the invention including certain novel and improved 'constructions and arrangements of parts will :be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with 40 the accompanying drawings, and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a View in vertical section, illustrating parts of a machine embodying'the present invention; Figures 2 and 3 are 45 detail side views on an enlarged scale, partly in section, illustrating the needle and I needle guides of the machine shown in Figure 1, in

successive operating positions; and Figure 4 is a view in front elevation and in section ofv the 50 needle and awl supporting stud of the ma-' chinev The stitch-forming and work-feeding devices of the machine are best illustrated in Figure l,

and include a curved hook needle H], a curved 55 awl l2, a rotating shuttle or loop taker It within a guideway of which is mounted a hollow circular thread case It containing a supply of locking thread, a looper I8, a thread hook or finger 20, a take-up 22, a presser-foot 24, and a ,work support '26. The mechanisms for actuating these devices are driven from the main sewing shaft 2! and are not illustrated in detail since-they form no part of the present invention except as hereinafter described. These mecha- I V nisms are substantially the same as those dism cl'osed'injhepresent inventors prior U. S. Letters Patent and application above referred'to.

In previous curved needle sewing machines, it has been the practice to employ a needle of sufiiciently heavy gauge toprevent bending while in engagement with the work, an ,awl of corresponding size or slightly'larger being required. Where stitches of very short length are being inserted, the work may be broken up by the awl perforations, and become weakened unduly along the seam line. In order to avoid such'weakenw ing, itis usual to reduce the sizes of the needle and awl, but when this is done, frequentbreakage of the needle may result. v 7

To enable a smaller needle than ordinary to be used-so that the needle may enter a relatively small awl perforation in the work and may be retracted with a heavy thread without bending or breaking, according to the present invention, there is mounted on the needle supporting stud, indicated at 28 in Figures 2'and 4, a pair of needle guides 30 and 32, movable relatively to each other along the needle as the needle enters or retractsfrom the work. The needle is mounted line, segment 34 on the'needle stud 28and 5 'a :reducedportion of the hub of the needle segment "provides a bearing for the needle guide 30, which engages the needle at. intermediate point along *the'lehg-th ofthe needle. "The hub of the needle guide 30 is provided with an outer bear- 40 ing surface on which the needle guide 32 is mounted and arranged'to engage and cover the needle near itshooked end. When the needle enters the work, the needle guide 32 moves with the needle until stopped by the presser-foot 24, the needle continuing through the work. To move the needle guide 32 with the needle, the guide is provided with a yieldingly actuated friction shoe 36 engaging a concentric surface on the needle segment 34 and an arm 38 having a lug adapted to cooperate with an abutment shoulder 40 on the needle segment. In order to hold the needle guide from movement until the needle is clear of the work, the arm 38 is en- I gaged by an enlargement 42 on the thread finger 28. After the needle loop has been removed from the needle, the thread finger imparts a further movement to the needle guide 32 to cause I it to cover the empty hook of the needle, the arm 38 engaging shoulder 40 and preventing movement of the guide beyond the end of the needle, as described more fully in inventors U. S. Patent No. 2,038,282 of April 21, 1936,

To separate the needle guides 38 and 32 and hold them in spaced relation along the needle, the intermediate guide 30 is formed with a bore 44 to receive a compression spring 46 acting between the end of the bore 44 and a pin 48 on the needle guide 32. To limit the movement of the guides away from each other, the intermediate guide 30 is formed with a projection 50 cooperating with a portion of the guide 32. When the needle is moved towards the work, the hook covering guide 32 engages the presser-foot, which holds the guide 32 stationary as the needle enters the work. Both guides then remain stationary until the needle segment engages the intermediate guide 30. The spring 4|] is then compressed and the intermediate guide is moved towards the hook covering guide 32 to the position shown in Fig. 3,'until the needle reaches the limit of its penetrating stroke. When the needle is retracted from the work reverse movements take place, the intermediate. guide moving with the needle segment until the projection 50 engages the guide 32. The guide 32 then moves with the guide 30 and the friction of the shoe on the needle segment is sufficient to carry the guides with the needle until the guide 32 is engaged by the thread finger. The two guides are then moved further towards the hooked end of the needle until the guide 32 is actuated to cover the empty needle hook, as previously described.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, anda construction embodying the several features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is;

1. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hook needle, a stud about which the needle oscillates, and a plurality of needle guides on the stud arranged for movement relatively to each other along the needle as the needle enters the work.

2. A sewin machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hook needle, a stud about which the needle oscillates, a plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the stud arranged to support the needle at separated points, and means for moving the guides with the needle until the needle engages the work, and thereafter "for causing the guides to, be moved towards each other as the needle enters the work.

3. A sewing machine. having, in combination,

stitch forming devices comprising a curved hooked needle, a stud, a needle segment, in which the needle is secured, mounted on the stud, a plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the stud, and yielding means for maintaining the guides in separated relation while the needle is disengaged from the work.

4. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hooked needle, a stud, a needle segment in which the needle is secured mounted on the stud, a plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the stud, means for driving one of the guides frictionally from the needle segment, and yielding means for maintaining the needle guides in separatedrelation while the needle is disengaged from the work.

5. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hooked needle, a stud, a needle segment in which the needle is secured mounted onthe stud, a plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the stud, yielding means for maintaining the guides in separated relation when the needle is disengaged from the work, and interengaging portions on the guides for limiting their movement away from each other.

6. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hooked needle, a stud, a needle segment in which the needle is secured mounted on the stud, a plurality of relatively movable needle guides on the stud, yielding means for maintaining the guides in separated relation when the needle is disengaged from the work, interengaging portions on the guides for limiting their movement away from each other, and a shoulder on .the needle segment for preventing movement of the guides beyond the end of the needle.

7. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices comprising a curved hook needle, a stud, a needle segment on the stud, a needle guide arranged to cover the hook of the needle, a second needle guide arranged to move along the needle relatively to and between the hook covering guideand the needle segment, and means for actuating said guides comprising yielding means acting to separate the guides, interengaging portions on the guides for limiting their movement away from each other, a shoulder on the needle segment for preventing movement of the guides beyond the point of the needle, and a friction shoe engaging the needle segment for moving the hook covering needle guide as the threaded needle is being withdrawn from the work to prevent said guide from covering the needle hook before the loop of needle thread has been taken therefrom.

. OTTO R. HAAS. 

